Safety-tray for cards.



tened in any preferred manner.

UNITED STATES iatented December 2'7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

' SAFETY-TRAY'FOFi CARDS.

SPECIFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 778,314, dated December 27, 1904.

Application filed November 27, 1903. Serial No. l82,7 12.

.T0 at whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, WI LIAM A. HoscI-IKE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at New York city,'county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety-Trays for Cards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to'that class of files i-n Y which cards are used,rnore particularly ledger- I 0 cards or those inscribed with records or data of importance, the object being to provide a simple tray having folding sides which when closed are locked at both the front and back ends and which sides securely engage an adjustable tilting angle-block in such a manner that the cards contained in the tray cannot be examined or removed without first unlocking the tray by means of a key.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective side view of my improved safety-tray, one side being folded down to show the interior. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line X X of Fig. .1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of part of one side of the tray to show the tilting angle-block as it appears when locked in position. Fig. is a 'plan view of the tray as it appears when locked, the center being broken away; and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the locking means in the position when unlocking.

Similar numbers ofreference indicate similar parts in the several views. I

The tray has sides l 2, which extend the full height. They are divided lengthwise about half-way, so that the upper part 3 41 will fold down outwardly against the lower part by means of hinges 5 6. At the upper edge of the folding sides I provide a right-angle strip 7 8, which may be wide enough to entirely cover the tray when closed or be of any desired width, so that the upper edge of the cards contained in the tray may be exposed. I show the latter arrangementin my drawings.

In the angle formed by the strip and the folding side I use a rack 9 10, securely fas- The teeth 11 are in avertical plane when the tray is closed. Within the rack I placea sliding rod 12, having a U-shaped hook 13 on the rear end and being beveled. off at the front end 14 to act as a bolt. The manner of locking will be fully described hereinafter. When inanormal pos'ition, this rod is pressed forward by a thin flat spring 15, which engages a notch 16 in cut away for this purthe rod, the rack being pose. V

At the inner side of the rear end ofthe tray I providea plate 17 having nosings 18 19 bent rearward, behind which the hook 13 catches when locked. The lock is placed at the top of the tray inthe front end, extending a short distance down the interior, as shown. That part of the lock-casing 20 which is vertical on the interior is provided with a hole 21 at each end for engaging the bolt 1 1 when locked.

The mechanism of the lock consists of two fulcrumed levers 22, each having a projection 23, which is on a line with the hole 21, so that when a key is inserted in the keyhole 24 and turned the levers advance toward the holes, which the projection enters, thereby pushing the bolt andthe hook 13 simultaneously away from its fastening. A spring 25 presses the levers normally forward or away from the holes. A spring 26 on each side of the tray throws the folding sides outward when the locking means are released.

The angle-block 27 when free can be moved longitudinally, as is usual in boxes of trays of this'character. The tray is provided with a bottom 28, havmg an opening 29 running lengthwise. The

lower edges which face each other may be rabbeted, as shown at 33. A flat plate 31 is fastened to the block in such a manner that when the block is tilted forwardthe plate will be drawn up tight against the rabbeted section and held there by friction. Near the upper edge of the block and on a line with the rack a tooth 30 is placed on each end, which tooth enters the rack on either side when the tray is locked. 32 is a handle on the front of the tray.

Such being the construction, the operation is as follows: We will presume that the tray is half filled with cards and open for inspectionor removal. sliding block forward tightly against the cards, which being of an even thickness causes the block to tilt over until the face side is vertical. Fold up one or both sides of the tray. The tooth on the block enters the rack, and the sliding rod being pushed backward by reason of the bevel on the front end will engage the locking means provided on the front and rear plates, the hook catching behind the nosing and the beveled bolt entering the hole provided for it. The cards being pressed tightly together are held in this position by the block, and it is impossible to either remove or examine a card until the tray is unlocked.

It will be noticed thatI use no rod or other locking device for holding a card which is perforated to coact with said rod. If it is desired to surreptitiously remove a card from such a tray, it can be torn from its temporary fastening and destroyed, whereas in the use of my device when looked a card cannot be removed, as there are no means of grasping it.

Such being my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a tray for cards, a box provided with two folding sides, each of the sides having a right-angle strip at its free end, said strips facing each other and adapted to cover the contents when said box is elosed, in combination with a block, said block being movable when the box is open and locked in a fixed position by said sides when they are closed, substantially as described.

2. In a tray for cards, a box having folding sides, each side being provided with a locking means to simultaneously fasten the front and rear ends of each of said sides, in combination with an adjustable block provided with means for locking in a fixed position by engaging said folding sides when closed, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, a tray having folding sides, each of said sides being provided with a right-angle strip at its free end, a rack placed at the intersection formed by the said side and strip, a sliding rod having the rear end bent into a hook and its front end beveled, and a locking means in combination with an adjustable tilting block provided with means for engaging each of said racks when the tray is locked, substantially as described.

- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this th day of November, 1903.

WILLIAM A. 'HOSCIIKE.

Witnesses:

IVIABELLE N. GLEASON, ELIAS WHITNEY. 

